Professor Pedro Girão, from the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Técnico (DEEC), was recently elected a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET), one of the world’s largest engineering institutions with over 168000 members in 150 countries. Professor Pedro Girão received this distinction “with satisfaction and joy”. IET Fellowship is awarded to individuals who have sustained high levels of achievement, for example through leadership, influence, senior responsibility, innovation and professional service – only a small percentage of IET members hold this degree.

IET Fellowship is the highest grade of membership at the institution, thus subject to close scrutiny. “Fellowship applications are peer assessed and as a candidate you will need to provide evidence that you not only meet the IET Expectation for Fellows but that you can also provide evidence of your achievements against at least two of the nine designated criteria”, explains professor Pedro Girão. The Fellow assessment panel will discuss and evaluate the applications, and then will make a recommendation and forward it to the chairman. “The chairman will reach a decision based on the consensus of the panel members. There are four possible outcomes: Election, Interview, Defer or Decline”, clarifies professor Pedro Girão, who was invited by IET and Jan Sykulski (Editor in Chief da Science, Measurement & Technology), at the end of January 2018, to become an Associate Editor. “The support of professors Leonel Sousa and Fernando Pereira, both IET fellows, contributed significantly to my success”, says professor Pedro Girão.